BYU President: "This Is the Most IMPORTANT Decision We'll Make" | Pres. Shane Reese E0019
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- BYU President Shane Reese has been in his role for a year now. We had a lot of questions for him.
Is there anything he’d do differently? What is BYU's "divinely established" mission? What's at stake if BYU doesn't fulfill its mission? What is the current student experience, and how can we improve it?
We discuss President Reese’s hard time acclimating as a new student at BYU, what it’s like to report to General Authorities, and his hopes for the future of BYU.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:20 - The student experience
00:03:02 - New Course for Freshmen
00:07:36 - The Epidemic of Loneliness
00:08:17 - President Reese's Personal Experience
00:15:21 - The Importance of Connection
00:18:34 - Balancing Secular and Spiritual Mission
00:23:46 - Research and Mission-Inspired Scholarship
00:25:25 - Core Institutions and Uniqueness
00:27:40 - Partnerships and Interfaith Connections
00:31:39 - Community and Decisions
00:31:58 - Connecting Students to the Temple
00:37:54 - Principle-Based Honor Code
00:39:46 - The Power of Understanding Students
00:41:38 - The Office of Belonging
00:49:55 - Mission-Aligned Hiring
00:56:30 - Aligning Sports with the Mission
01:05:10 - Reflections on the Past Year and Future Plans
01:08:30 - Advice to Students
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Disclaimer:
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE INDIVIDUAL CREATORS AND GUESTS ALONE AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF SCRIPTURE CENTRAL OR THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
I love that he said, We will stand by our mission even if it means standing alone. If BYU doesn't take a stance how can they expect us as individuals to stand alone.
I’m a black BYU grad and i absolutely loved my BYU experience! Loved the classes, faculty, professors, students, etc., etc., etc.
Thank you for sharing! I've heard so many young people say no African American is happy there, yet I was at a BSU event where I thought THIS IS THE FUTURE OF BYU AND THE CHURCH. WE NEED THIS!
@@peggyproffit5479 yes! I love byu! All my professors were amazing people not only experts in their fields, but also disciples of Christ. They truly love all their students
That is so true. I’ll never forget my geology teacher stopping to bear his testimony of the truthfulness of the teaching of the Church while teaching the theory of evolution. I sat there as a non-member and just wept. Needless to say, I was baptized in the Rexburg tabernacle, thanks to the closeness of the professors to the students. All my male professors stood in the circle with their hands on my head as I was being confirmed.
That is delightful.
I feel as if the sun just came out. ☀️❤️
Beautiful and excellent.
@@puppylove4506 1:04:51 1:04:52
By chance was it Brother Lovell at BYUI that bore his testimony?
“Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters; in the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether or not he or she will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions." NEAL A. MAXWELL
🙌🏻
I've heard and witnessed story after story after story of professors, faculty, and students promoting/advocating/supporting the complete opposite of what BYU should stand for. It's refreshing to see the President of BYU share his vision of the future of this university. But I wish this interview was much more in-depth. There are so many more questions I would have asked and dug deep on.
BYU is now unrecognizable! It's so woke, it's no different than any other university, it seems. Many stalwart young people, and even returned missionaries from my ward/stake go off to BYU only to end up leaving the Church, and often end up identifying as LGBT. As a BYU alum, I would no longer encourage a young person to apply there, at least to Provo or Hawaii. Idaho isn't as bad, but the same worldly influences are creeping in. Faculty and staff are increasingly "woke". And what's with teaching a class about Taylor Swift, Provo?!? Seriously???
@@capybara39419 I agree with you and I feel similarly. I wouldn't recommend students attend BYU right now but I do hold out hope that Shane Reese can turn it around
Reese is based
Where else would you rather send your kids to? BYU is still amazing despite a few bad apples. Don’t make it sound worse than it is.
Lousy soft ball interview. No tough questions. For the record, Penn State has has freshmen seminar mandatory course for decades. Total waste of tuition $. My kids hated it. 😂.
President Reese is a man on a mission. Dude absolutely gets it and is the perfect person for the position. Great interview.
What a breath of fresh air President Reese is - and I'm a Roman Catholic. Hang in there, the times they are a-changing. The brain fever over the past 40 years is beginning to abate.
Much love to our catholic friends!
Yes, much love! ❤
@@lizh7777 Hi Liz, Thanks for the reply. I've been noticing in the past decade that there's been a shift, not recorded in the media, that those who hold to the traditional moral views have been making a comeback. A small example is the success of some Dominican nuns in Michigan. In 1997, the motherhouse in TN sent 3 nuns to Michigan to found a new convent. They now have 150 nuns. The biggest story on English TV, after Harry and Meghan, is the closure of a hospital and the banning of puberty blockers for children, ditto in France, Germany and Finland. The recent Cass report details the atrocities committed against children by the WPATH protocol. Michael Snellenberger, the journalist, was given inside info on WPATH. Could go on and on. Don't get discouraged by the happenings at BYU before Pres. Reese. Just keep on doing what you've been doing. Christ said the two greatest commandments are to love God with your whole heart and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself. LDS people get an A plus for their compassion. Peace, Steve
@@angelalewis3645 Hi Angela, Thanks for the heart but I'm probably too old for you - I won't ask what your age is. All the best, Steve
Let's hope! That's what I keep praying for!
Wow! The return to our roots! I feel so hopeful and inspired by the leadership that has been raised up for such a time as this! For all parents who so carefully raise our children, and for all whose faithful donations helps contribute to this University and for all who love the concept of BYU, what a ray of hope!
Too often I have heard that BYU is where you go to lose your testimony in the Gospel. There are many things that need to improve. It sounds like this president has a heart for BYU, the students, and The Lord. I appreciate the act of doing yourself what you ask of others. I'm hopeful for BYU.
Some of the things they teach at BYU is grounds for disciplinary actions from ecclesiastical leaders. I hope President Reese cleans house and restore order which can help students stay on the covenant path
@@kwolfgramm1 I have a friend who is writing a book , working title is "Why your child chose BYU and why they hate the Church" Too many conservatives have poisoned the BYU well and kids graduate, get into reality and realize the gospel/church isn't what BYU said it was and leave
The “gospel” is fake. Nobody SHOULD have a testimony.
My BYU experience was much more neutral. The new student orientation was heavily focused on teaching every topic with the spirit. I expected prayers and/or gospel discussion in every class. Instead, only half my religion classes started with prayer. Weekly devotionals were good, but most professors never brought up a single gospel topic for the entire semester. If I had to guess if my professors were members of the church, I'd have no idea.
I am excited that BYU has a president that is finally pushing what BYU needs to be, beyond new student orientation and devotionals.
I've seen it among the young adults there I know.
My daughter just finished her freshman year. She was surprised at how many students didn’t believe in the church and were only there because of the low tuition. She also registered for a woman studies class. In the first class, they were bashing men and discussing multiple genders. She’d had enough of that in high school and dropped the course.
Raise the tuition dramatically! Then only the faithful will make the choice to go.
The tithing makes tuition low.
BYU has become too much like any other university in the US. It's an embarrassment to any church member that sees how it's departed from gospel principles.
Hopefully she gets into that new class that he said are for freshman, even if she won't be next year.
I had a niece take that Women's Studies class (required for her major I guess). She said it was the worst class she had ever taken. Professor totally bashing church doctrine. BYU needs to take a look at their professors and get rid of ones that don't support and teach church doctrine and what BYU stands for.
I’m a current BYU student and am super grateful for all the good work President Reese is doing!
If you want to improve BYU, fire the professors that teach against the teachings of the Church. So many stories have come out about teachers teaching against the doctrines of the Church.
I agree they should be fired. Its a Church university and they should represent what the Church is Christ centered and they should only teach the true gospel of Christ. I am disappointed with these professors, they’re sowing discord and confusion among these young people whose testimonies might be so fragile yet. These are young people who are so vulnerable, these professors should know better.
Which professors are teaching against the church and what are they saying? From my experience the faculty is actually quite loyal to the church. Faculty members are required to hold a valid temple recommend. I had professors bear their testimonies during lecture and we always opened with a prayer. I'm just curious what people mean when they say that faculty members oppose the church and that BYU is going woke
Yes! We are not sending any more of our kids to BYU.
"Stories?"
"Anecdotes?"
"Rumors?"
"Slander?"
"Lies?"
"The testimonies of 2 witnesses under oath?"
"ETC?"
I got the degrees of M.Phil and PhD at other universities. My B.A. from BYU taught me how to differentiate between these "language games"
(Wittgenstein).
...for what it's worth.
Brother Reese! Mark here, from Apache Co. AZ. Similar experience as a freshman at BYU...way back when. Not the time or place to launch into a brief life history in 700 pages.
Can I offer a take on your approach?
It's the good old ancient Greek "pharmakon." The "fiery serpent" seen on the logo of this world's medical physicians.
Jesus.
And what is that? Administering a remedy that refuses to get lost in an--*ignorant,* sorry if offensive--false dichotomy. Nope, by the Grace of God an intervention that might at first look like the sickness, and that hurts worse, short and sharp, by a factor of 2, 4, 10. Turns out this kind of "homeopathic" surgery or innoculation that had been so counterintuitive got at the core of the illness. And freakin miracle (oops AZ cowboy register): it turned out to be THE cure.
Am sure you get it.
❤, Mark
In the past 10 years, we sent three daughters to BYU, all graduated but one lost her testimony while there. Not blaming BYU by any means, she has her agency. I only wish there was better support for student life. I’m very encouraged by what President Reese is doing! Bravo! 👏
You wish the cult had kept her brainwashed? What even is this comment.
@@lifetaketwo7662 Cults usually don't let you leave. I left the church in my early 20s and felt nothing but love from everyone LDS I met while I was inactive. I eventually started to repair my relationship with Chirst, came back to church, served a mission, met my wife, was sealed in the temple, and my life has been amazing ever since. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for how much he has blessed me & my wife with the peace we have in our home. If that is what you call a cult, then it ain't half bad. I hope that one day you will feel the love of the Savior, apply his atonement, and know that you have a Heavenly Father who loves and cares for you. I wish you the best.
@@lifetaketwo7662 use a mirror
I am glad that your other daughters kept their faith while at BYU. No matter where your children go to college there is always a chance for them to lose their anchor in the gospel. My first year at the “Y” was a challenge. I didn’t lose my testimony but I made mistakes that I wish I hadn’t. The next year was better. I was able to stay grounded in the gospel. I have good memories of the “Y”.
I am so excited to send my children to a school that teaches the exact same belief's and opinions I have.
As an alumni, hearing President Reese is encouraging. I know President Reese is the man BYU needs.
My last daughter went to BYU because she was sick and tired of revisionist history, and socialist ideas were rammed down her throat in high school. She dropped her first history class at BYU because of the revisionist agenda. We need a higher class of professors at BYU.
Going to BYU should be an academic MTC like experience. I’m hopefully that President Reese will be able to create an environment where gospel truths are never placed in the background, but rather underpin everything else that BYU does.
Our students need that reprieve, just like seminary was a reprieve feom regular high school
This video just reinvigorates my desire to go to BYU. The way he talks about having the truths of study and the truths of the gospel taught in the same classroom from the same person.
President Reese hit the nail on the mark, especially around 23:00 . I just left a teaching/research position as a "Family Studies" scholar, and he is 100% correct--the field and most of the professors would NOT consider themselves friendly to the principles in the Proclamation. If there are academics out there who do so, I would appreciate hearing from you. I also talk about the Proclamation in my podcast. This is a fantastic episode and the first time I came across it. I have definitely subscribed. And thank you to Pres. Reese as well!
We've got to find a way to talk about how to live BOTH of the 2 great commandments-- love our neighbors so, so much, and also the great commandments of loving God, and believe that He could understand more than we do. That while we love everyone we also believe their could be things we don't u derstand yet about thr Proclamation. It came out when it made no sense besides prophetic to even talk about it.
I graduated in 2001. For the last year or so, and for about a year after whenever I'd visit, I couldn't get across campus without running into several people I knew. I felt connection and belonging during my time there such as I seldom have since. And I still went through times of bleak desolate moods - for the most part, during times when friends graduated or my closer relationships were disrupted in some way. My heart aches contemplating the effects that narcissistic ("social") media must have had on the students by now.
I did also fall in with some of the disaffected contingent - I think it will always be there in one form or another, and, youthful zeal and ignorance being what they are, it would be a grave mistake to try to appease the disaffected by pandering or conceding to any of their misguided demands.
That said, I still believe beards should be allowed, but really, that's the least of their worries.
I've been listening to James Lindsay lectures recently about the ideological takeover of higher education, and I do have close personal associates who are BYU employees and still embroiled in Progressive mindsets that I've repented of. So I want to encourage President Reese to hold the line.
"Progressivism"/"Wokeism" is a plague that has reaped, is reaping, and will reap disastrous results - especially on the minds and futures of out youth.
My son's have huge testimonies served mission's and are now looking to eventually get married if they can find someone.
But dating and having a steady relationship isn't something that hardly ever happens.
I feel so bad my son's are sad and lonely 🙁 and are incredibly discouraged about getting married! My son's are also really handsome, so can't understand why they don't have a steady girlfriends. They like BYUl it's a beautiful campus and they feel like it's home. Do you have a take on this?
Amen
Part of what is going on with this generation. Imo it’s either you have to be near perfect in the eyes of some of the gals and guys or…willing to break your covenants for a little fun. Sad.
@@stardustgirl2904 I have a take on it. I don't expect it to be popular. To be cruelly concise:
Due to:
A century or more of our culture soaking in messages of Romanticized ideas of marriage that have reached a fever pitch over the past five decades,
Church culture's attempts to placate feminists by blowing the horn of Women Are Wonderful ever louder,
Consumer culture establishing a progressively higher standard of living as a baseline to take for granted,
Young single women today are spoiled.
Love this new president!! This is exactly what BYU needs. Embrace our uniqueness and be peacemakers to others.
God bless President Reese! I'm so grateful the prophets are doing something to protect the students at that university🙏
This man is exactly what it's needed right now. Further proof the prophets are inspired and guided and directed by God
I believe that too.
what about protections against liberal students, do they count for anything?
I'm an Area Operations Manager at BYU. So many of our students decide to wait to find student jobs until after their first year. Once they start working in our crews theyfind that connection and belonging he's talking about. I wish some of these parents wouldn't discourage their children from working their first school year. They're missing out on a lot.
I am so happy you mentioned this. My daughter is an international student. She is doing her first year but she is finding it challenging to get a job.
I do hope and pray that her second year will be a better experience. She has faced many trials that even I a stalwart member did not know were happening on campus.
I pray that God will prevail on campus and that our children will stand with stronger testimonies of Jesus Christ.
@@gladheartful I run the weekend student custodial crews in the JFSB. during the fall/winter semester I run the afternoon crew which allows for a lot of flexibility
I worked as a night shift custodian in the Wilk from the summer before I started. My coworkers were my best friends.
Wow, me working through college was never an option. I guess times have changed but dunno…
@@stephenkoch4188 it just depends on your situation. When I was a full-time student I always had to work 20 hrs a week. Most of my student employees only want to work 14 hrs a week but I have a couple that have to work 20.
My excellent experience at BYU was almost totally based on my ward and specifically my FHE group; we're still connected 40 years later. Yes I had some great professors but socially it was my ward that made the biggest difference. After graduating from the Y I moved to Logan and attended USU and again my experience there was pretty much tied to my ward and/or my roommates.
I can say the same. I attended USU in 2001-02. College classes were "meh", but my ward, roommates, and institute were the best!
Shane is such a God send. He will save this university from the capitulation that the last president, who’s name I shall not name, from woke ideology and bend but not break attitude in an effort to please those who hate BYU and what they should stand for. What a breath of fresh air this brethren brings to this outstanding university.
Don’t need diversity without faithful god loving students walking the covenant path.
I think President Worrhen did the best he could and had to work under extreme limitations with Covid. Also he has served as a huge inspiration to President Reese as he mentioned in this podcast. But I agree that President Reese will be pivotal to restore byu back to its glory days.
@@yeiuhkjdsgjkdagur
I disagree. I think president Worthen was woke. What else explains the leftward sprint that took place during his tenure?
@@dansherwood9851 God has made the world and the Church diverse, so you are too late to fight against God
@@Cameron4077 who’s fighting against God? Certainly not me. I would venture it’s those folks who have issues with the leaders God has put in place.
This was a beautiful interview. I am very impressed with President Reese’s vision for BYU. His commitment and enthusiasm are very catching. I wish him all the success in the world .
This is a great man and I trust that the college is in great hands.
I really appreciate that President Reese actually addressed the elephant in the room, rather than just avoided it. My hope is that he understands just how rotten and subversive things have become in the academy. For many of us who are members of the Church and part of the academy, it snuck up on us, especially if you're in the STEM fields, which are the last bastion against so much pseudo-academic filth. Watching the decay of Universities in the public eye has been disheartening. There was a time I swore off of attending or working for BYU because I was not keen on obeying the dress code, it seemed like a perpetuation of 1950s post-war propaganda. Yet, I'd much rather sacrifice my face to chronic infected razor-burn from maintaining that baby-face clean shaven look than sign a form swearing allegiance to DEI(A). If BYU wishes to maintain its uniqueness and strict conduct codes, I'm all for it, so long as they jettison anything even resembling the many pernicious word games that allow the insanity to creep in.
correct
really puts things in persepective huh?
We saw this with all of the lies about COVID, vaccines, and wearing a mask as well as the adherence to a fraudulent view of freedom.
Just like today Israel is committing genocide in Gaza with no complaints coming fro the "family values" crowd both inside and outside the Church.
I remember a year or two ago that some of the students protested a pro-life speaker coming to speak. That shocked me! These students have spent 18+ years in our culture so they are drinking the cool aid, obviously.
I wish BYU would go counter culture and teach them how to apply the Gospel to their future lives of providingand contributingto society. I wish BYU would focus more on faith than on impressing its Academic peers worldwide. What good does it do to impress other schools, fit in the popular academic thought, or even win secular accolades? Our children see this focus at BYU and then decide that they also will try to impress, fit in and win praise from faithless people.
BYU can't be a afraid to look different from all the other schools. If it's not different, it's useless. It was created to be different. The early founders of BYU had such high hopes for it, that it would not fear to build on revelation, that it would run far ahead of secular schools because it would infuse all learning with Spirit.
Unfortunately, it's hard to detect willingness to acknowledge our religion there and the critical role it should play in our daily careers, etc. I get that it's nearly an impossible task. But PLEASE stop chasing external approval and get real with these kids. If BYU doesn't offer them an alternative to our sick culture, who will?
What I see as a big part of the woke problem are the accreditation agencies. They push this stuff - comply or lose accreditation. We need an alternative accreditation structure that dumps the twisted DEI the left preaches and pushes.
I just graduated from BYU Idaho with a mechanical engineering degree. I loved all the opportunities offered by all the professors and the relationships built with other students in classes, with roomates, church etc. I don't think any other school could have provided me with such an experience, I was able to grow spiritually, socially and professionally. Being surrounded by professors and students I can look up to is something I am truly grateful for. I can say that my experience at BYUI helped me grow in my testimony and can say that the prophesies given by President Eyring and Elder Bednar about the University continually come to pass.
This is where I went when it was called Ricks. It was the best! You definitely have to have smaller class sizes at BYU to make a difference. Also, I loved having a FHE group. We always got together.
My daughter graduated summa cum laude from HS, served a mission, came home and still wasn't accepted in BYU Provo. Other students who repeatedly break the code of conduct are allowed to stay. Why? There is a movement in the student body and STAFF that is antithetical to the Church. Let's not forget... BYU students are SUBSIDIZED by the tithe paying members. I am not okay with my tithing subsidizing the BYU as it is today. I found that many LDS kids are preferring UVU and even Utah State due to the nonsense.
Bowing to god and trying to impress him will only get secular BYU kicked out of the precious NCAA athletics bracket they so desperately seek after. Shut it down. Stop wasting our tithes.
Pres Reece is SO GOOD and a breath of fresh air for BYU. I support him 💯
BYU needs some old grandpa's like me to sit around encouraging students to pray continually.
we've got plenty of them already, don't worry. What we need are YOUNGER professors that actually understand and sympathize with our generation and our struggles teaching us that
@@nathanpetersen2476 The problem is we have been younger people struggling to understand the world. These younger people do not understand the world. If you want more emotional understanding then you don't want the truth.
I call it practicing gratitude. Gratitude heals all wounds.....
They need to learn the greatest commandment is the most important thing that we can ever obey. Matthew 22 34 to 40. Love the Lord with all of our heart and soul and mind and in that order so God can do a work in our heart and we can then and only then love others as Jesus loves others. He can light us on fire for him and we will recoil from sin like a hot flame. I did not learn this in Church. I struggled for almost 50 years even though I was saved. I did not know the healing power of the Holy Spirit. I was praying my heart out for my wife 3 years ago all alone at home and God humbles me to the floor "slain in the Spirit" I did not know that was a thing. I never saw those services with people on the floor laughing and filled with Joy unspeakable full of glory but it was happening to me! I have not been the same since! My anxiety was cured! My heart was changed forever. I noticed I did not even get upset when another driver cut me off. I could only think "I hope those people in that car are ok"! God is doing this for me in real time. I see it all the time and I could never even think that fast! Jesus said if we love him we will keep his commandments and he only gave us 2. He said if we keep his commandments he will manifest himself into us and he does! He really does! I knew I could lay hands and heal after this. I also started speaking in tongues. My church did not teach this! God showed me! I can not put the Bible down now either. My wife and I wake up singing every morning! We live in heaven on earth/ I get hit with the Holy Spirit anointing just thinking about God! If I talk about him Jesus shows up and people even listen when I go to tell them about Jesus because God puts it in them. They are affected by the presence of the Holy Spirit in me and its not me at all.
@nathanpetersen2476 Yup. And we need younger Apostles and a Millennial First Presidency not bowed over with the weight of years of experience and insight.
This interview buoyed up my soul! I'm homeschooling my kids, and the president's messages resonated SO STRONGLY with me, and will with LDS homeschoolers all over! Hurrah for Zion! Hurrah for a president of BYU who is taking seriously the charge to strengthen our children spiritually as well as academically! I thank Thee, Father, for this man in this position at this time!
I applaud the initiative to change things and work for students AND the University. Even if my experience at BYU wasn't ideal, I knew it was great for many others. Here's hoping BYU can continue to improve for everyone.
I love how Hillsdale college is attempting to provide research that supports the U.S. Constitution and foundational beliefs of the founding of this country. But as a school not guided by modern prophets it has its limitations. I am waiting for BYU to lead out on these things - the president addressed this head on - the Family, Religion, and the Constitution. Make it happen president!
They should teach the course "The Constitution Is The Solution" narrated by Robert Brown. They should hire him to teach it. Amazing. Do a search: "The Constitution Is The Solution."
Hillsdale has more integrity than BYU will ever have.
Bring back American Heritage 101 undiluted, un redacted, the way it was!
Hillsdale has the ability to conserve their values because they don't accept one penny of federal funding. I wish BYU would follow suit.
@@rconger24 best class my husband took at byu
President Reese, I pray for your success in attempting to restore BYU’s uniqueness.
Thank you for taking up the fight.
If you have God with you, you are never alone.
Housing and parking is a huge problem on campus and around the university. Thanks for mentioning that!
My son's attend BYUI and they love it, but dating is a huge problem, girls don't want to date anymore so it seems. It's a sad situation! My son's want to get married, and start a family. But girls there meeting don't care to do so. I don't really understand this my generation wanted to get married.
@@stardustgirl2904 I've had friends express this same concern
Parking is a problem at most universities. You pay a ton for a parking pass and you always battle to find a spot to park.
@@phillipcook3430 Yes, but at BYU it is almost non-existent. To the point that people will even park in front of your driveway (a few blocks away) and block you in 😂
@@stardustgirl2904you can’t make people do things ok . Most girls to me seem like they want to get married and start a family. Seems more like the guys are the scared ones.
Back in 1981 I transferred from Ricks College (I loved it, I didn't want it to end) to BYU. It was a different time then. Coming from a loving environment to a cold reception was jarring. The classes were huge. It was so competitive. The ward wasn't welcoming. It was very cliquish on and off campus. My grades tanked. I left defeated and transferred to University of Utah. I graduated from there with a bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Nutrition in 1986. For years I'd have a panic attack every time I drove near BYU.
My neighbor is BYU faculty, he tells his own kids to go to UVU for undergraduate work because of class size.
Wow!
I remember my first semester at BYU, talking about class size, had some bigger than my graduating class... one was almost as big as my high school enrollment. It was a major culture shock, had a hard time that first semester... This new class, size 24, would of been a great blessing for me! Super excited for these students
BYU used to be unique but not so much any more! I pray that this President can turn it around!
I started BYU in 1983 and I HATED it because I felt like a number and felt so alone. I ended up graduating from there, but I never liked it. Thank you President Reese for trying to change the atmosphere.
I am so glad that he is the new President. I was really worried about the direction that BYU taking. I think he is going to get BYU back on track.
As nice as it is to have a great support system and a warm and welcoming environment as well as a spiritually rich atmosphere, I can't help but think of some of the Greats we read about in the scriptures who had none of that yet were rock solid in their testimony of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it is Christ who strengthens and sustains and nourishes. I don't discount how beneficial such auxiliary things are, but I am of the belief that it's possible to thrive spiritually in their absence. I think what it all comes down to is becoming agents who act for ourselves and take charge of our own conversation and testimonies.
I appreciate this interview with President Shane Reese and the reassurance his vision for the future of BYU in tune with the Savior and modern prophets to strengthen the meaning of academics. There is so much to like here! I especially appreciate the standards of family, religious life in America, and the U.S. Constitution, for these are quickly being overrun in our promised land by Critical Theory and the “Woke” in academic circles, etc., mirroring the victimhood mentality and power struggles in ancient American civilizations we read about in the BofM. What a challenge for President Reese to raise this banner of truth! I love what he is doing and I love his approach!
I'm so excited to listen to this interview! Thank you for doing it!!!
In 2003 I started at BYU and transferred to BYU-Idaho after serving a mission. Best decision for me. I felt the Spirit abundantly in Idaho. By the end of my BYU-I experience I had taught 7 sections of "Catch the Vision", a course for incoming freshman that sounds much like what President Reese described. BYU-Idaho is leading out on how to remain a peculiar people, a light on a hill in the middle of Babylon. And by letting juniors & seniors teach the course, they trained up disciple-leaders. I'm hopeful to hear BYU is following BYU-I's example in at least that small way.
There are literally hundreds of universities that fit the secular mold.
There is only one BYU. Let's keep it as the spiritual beacon this world needs and allow the students who WANT to be there not be distracted the other forces that are trying to secularize the campus.
Being a person makes such a difference. I’m 75 and there are things that dehumanize the elderly. This concept is so important. Here it applies to 17-18 year olds but we never outgrow the need to have connection.
Refreshing to see the new president not be walked all over by the secular society.
but being "walked all over" by conservative society is perfectly acceptable? what nonsense
@@Cameron4077 I said nothing about politics… not sure you know the definition of secular.
@@6barbers neither did I, if you don't know the definition of "secular" then you have drunk from the poisoned well of conservatism. Good luck in the real world and not the anti woke crap BYU promotes
@@Cameron4077 any secular ideas or practices that don't line up or are not in good harmony to the teachings of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is not acceptable like woke culture which it's only purposes is to deconstruct God's definition of Marriage and The Family. Woke culture has only taught nothing but hatred for not only towards American history but has lead many young members, including friends I knew who went to BYU and left the church because of woke ideas, to hate the gospel of Jesus Christ and turn to activism against His Church. Wokeism is of the devil and it has no place in a God inspired university.
You mean by basic human rights?
I took Professor Shane Reese's honors statistics class at BYU around 2012. He was a master of his craft and could explain the complexities and nuances of statistics with incredibly clarity and simplicity--a mark of a true master. I was blown away when I heard the news he had been called to be President of BYU, as President Worthen was also the Stake President who called me on my mission back in 2010. To hear President Worthen had that impact on President Reese was a double whammy.
President Reese is an incredibly humble, dedicated, intelligent man. There could have been no better person for this job than President Reese. I love that he can come out on these podcasts and share his authenticity and his incredible personality with the world in a time when some of our most cherished institutions are shaking. Love you guys!
I've been waiting all day for this video to drop! Thank you! Love you guys!
God bless you President Reese
Thank you. Please do it! We need you.
I had a finance class at BYU when the movie God's Army (2000) was released in theaters. The topic got brought up about the movie and the mixed reactions and the professor said it was the only movie he's seen where there was a standing ovation in the Theater at the end. I asked him if he was a member of the church, so I could get his perspective if he weren't. I only got the first part of my question out "Are you a member of the church?" and he told all of us in class his conversion story, which I still remember to this day. (24 years later) The only part of his converstion story that I wish I could remember was the scripture that he read that changed his mindset from trying to disprove the Book of Mormon to opening his heart and mind and wanting to learn the truth--since he set out reading the Book of Mormon and marking every point of doctrine that he didn't agree with. After reading a particular scripture (it may have even been one in the Bible) he realized that he was reading the Book fo Mormon for his own glory and not God's, so he stopped trying to identify the doctrines that he didn't believe and started prayerfully reading it to know of it's truth.
I am so thankful I did my graduate school work at BYU. I loved going to BYU and I’m happy to hear that things are getting better and are shaping up there. You Go, President Reese! Wish I could have been in your class. 😊
As President Reese said at about 43:30, I have decided personally that if I first remember that everyone (mormon/non-Mormon, Russian/Ukrainian, Israeli/Palestinian, agree/disagree with me on Facebook) is a child of God, it can completely soften and improve my perspective of the other person as an actual human.
Love this! Stay strong and stay true!
I was very pleased to hear President Reese say the things he said on this podcast. I love BYU. I've always loved BYU sports too. But I would rather see BYU sports disappear entirely than see BYU fall to secularism. BYU has been headed down a dangerous path the last several years. It is critical to have as our president someone who is a committed latter day saint first, and an administrator second.
They have a special mission….it’s important that they do well. Teach them what their mission is, and how important it is!! These are the last days, and we need cream of the crop to lead!! I am sure they want to succeed!!
What a great interview!
The new class sounds so great! My time at BYU was pretty lonely. I was kind of isolated because I lived at home, and although I did go to a singles ward, it just wasn’t the same. Would have benefitted from an intro course like he’s describing.
This interview is fantastic. It touched me far more than I thought possible.
Dear President Reese, if BYU ever starts a medical school I would seriously take a pay cut to be a part of it. It is literally my dream job. (P.S. Hi Stephen! remember me from Belmont?)
I went to BYU for 1 year in 1973. Horrible experience! So glad that it's finally being addressed 50 years later.
Excellent discussion! Thank you!!
Wow, refreshing ideas and especially the focus on temple going. Love it President Reese
Here are the problems I experienced first hand at BYU:
1. Besides LDS religion professors, most of my professors' views contradicted the churches doctrine. It didn't happen often in each class, but stuff was always brought up that made me wonder if they were really even LDS.
2. Ecclesiastical endorsement policy is not strictly enforced. I regularly had roommates that attended only sacrament meeting once a month (no sunday school or priesthood meetings) and somehow kept their endorsement to attend. They were at BYU just for the cheap tuition, and most of the ones that attended church so little left the church immediately after BYU.
3. Dress code. It's retarded that Brigham Young can have a beard, but I can't and that the statue in the quad of Pres. Young had his beard removed. Some of the rules aline exactly with the churches standards and I get them, but others were completely random. Even the other BYU universities had completely different dress codes.
4. Testing Center. That center overly stressed out so many students. Also, with the testing center, we had at least two teachers a semester making us take 4 hours exams 4 times a semester instead of exams being limited to our normal class time and maybe the final exam being the only longer one.
5. Academically impossible in your general studies classes. I never felt like I really learned that much while I attended because the courses were overly difficult. Us students were not learning. We were memorizing only because most of us just didn't have any time with the huge workload. I would study 4-6 hours a day just to get by. BYU is not am Ivy League school that comes with an Ivy League reputation. The BYU name on my resume doesn't do a thing for me or others I've spoke with. Even some engineering managers I spoke with in Utah would rarely hire people from BYU because they were so unprepared. It's just difficult and you get nothing for it. To top it off, the hardest classes I had were the general studies courses. Why?
The only thing I got from BYU is that I met my wife there. We both bounced once we got married and we had Utah residency. We were both in engineering and moved up to Utah State. The work load there was still difficult, as we were both in engineering, but much more managable and we were actually learning. Utah State prepared us so much more for our careers, and the schools' reputation for engineering is much higher. I thought BYU would be an amazing experience, but all I experienced was the opposite.
I really do hope that the leadership in the church along with the university's leadership can help to improve BYU.
Great episode!
This was the greatest interview I have ever listened to. Absolutely great.. wonderful man , ( Mr. Reese )) .
When I was at BYU 2 years ago I sat down in the wilk at a table that was empty. One student came up to me and said it was a table for a certain club of one race which I will not mention. (She wasn't Caucasian though) I said oh really? Am I welcome to sit here? She said yes but didn't seem very happy about it. She was the president of this club, and told me that she didn't currently believe in the church and that it was a multimarketing scheme. Her club was all about making people of her race feel included but in my conversation I for sure did not feel welcome because I was of a different race then hers. I tried my hardest to be friendly, but when she mentioned that she thought the church was a scam I felt uncomfortable, and I was so surprised at how open she was about thinking the church was a scam and fake. I also didn't understand nor feel comfortable when she said they had a certain table just for people of that race in her club. It made me think about segregation. There are students at BYU actively against the church. For her, she was a president of a club that's goal was to gather together a group of a certain race and help them not feel alone, yet she seemed so against people from any other race and people who were strong in their faith. I walked away wondering if the staff and people who worked with her club knew of her current stance on our faith, and how harmful her ideology could be to a specific group of students. I'm pretty certain she had introduced antagonistic material to the people in her club as well. Anyways so grateful for President Reese coming in and hopefully getting to the roots of all these problems.
By seeing what *_The Brethren_* have given up to serve; anyone can see they believe in what they are doing. No one needs to be hit in the head with a spiritual two-by-four to understand that.
I don’t understand how someone with that attitude can honestly sign the honor code. I want to say, you don’t HAVE to go to BYU. Go somewhere that aligns with your ideology.
Infiltrate, Agitate, Desecrate, Confiscate.
@@amynazza That's what I'm saying! But I think her intentions were to spread her ideology to others around her. The prideful would rather try to convince everyone that they are wrong then accept that perhaps that have a few beams in their own eye
@@TrebizondMusic-cm6fp Wheats and the tares!
It's going to take a lot more than just him to get BYU back on track, though.
I agree. What changes or strategy would you suggest? Before my mission in Perú, I had no desire to go to BYU, and studied locally near home for three years. On my mission, I felt compelled to enroll at BYU to finish my studies and graduated from there. It was a great experience. All my professors were wonderful and upheld and exemplified Gospel standards as they taught and conducted discussions. The Religion classes were second to none. Excellence begins at the top, or as I like to say, comes from the foundation, including faculty members and staff. What I hear from students now is that promoting progressive/woke ideologies has been greatly influenced by staff and faculty. The students, seeking acceptance and belonging, become influenced by both what they see and hear. If changes aren't made at the top/the foundation, nothing will change with the students.
Just started the podcast and I'm so curious to see what Shane says
Great stuff, Stephen.
Thursday my son went to the temple with my wife, yesterday I watched this video, and today we found out he received an invite to attend BYU’s football camp in a couple of weeks. We’re coming from Arkansas and can’t wait.
I loved my time at byu. It was amazing to study the gospel and business. Hearing my accounting professor tie in the gospel to accounting was amazing. My testimony was strengthened and my knowledge increased incredibly!
President Reese, I love what you are doing and the new freshman required class. ♥️ Keep up the great work!
Amen! I was so lost. I loved Ricks College so much better, because the classes were so much smaller at Ricks.
I love BYU. Many of my grandkids have graduated or are going there.
Wow!! That was incredible! I graduated just recently and I have loved seeing how this President really loves the university and its students, and wants to make things better, starting with the vision and applications to it!
Man, I don't even know this President, but what a lovely, relatable and kind hearted guy to be in the position that he is in. Wouldn't this guy be the right guy to be a Bishop if you are a youth. Very inspiring.
Thank you for having the courage, tenacity, and discernment to ensure that we will no longer continue to lose institutions, teachers, leaders, who keep our families safe, healthy, strong, and well educated within the spiritual architecture of rhe restored Gospel.
Please 🙏 LDS leaders, stay 💪 strong with Love and Wisdom.
Graduated a year ago. Great university, I felt like I knew everyone. I am now at the U for Grad school and really miss BYU.
I knew nothing about this man, but now I feel like the students at BYU are in good hands.
There may still be hope for BYU. This interview was encouraging.
As an alumni I will never support the school until there is a serious cleaning up!!! I have several class mates whose kids identify as LGBTQ and are now going and obviously lied to get in. One has an RA that is gay as well and walks to campus church holding hands with her girlfriend!! What example is that?! Why is the leadership and brethren as a whole calling out REPENTANCE and if not, then having a consequence of removing these students and allowing those keeping the commandments to attend!!! On top of this the progressive teachers leading students away from the gospel!!! Actions speaks not words!
I've witnessed similar things. Why, is Brigham Young University allowing/encouraging rule breaking and commandment breaking by not holding students to the higher standard? There are so many young people who WANT to keep the commandments, follow the rules and be faithful that don't get in. Why not let those students in? If people want to behave like the rest of the world, there are many alternatives. Why even go there if you're intent on rebelling unless your reason for entering there is to contribute to imposing change within BYU, in order to turn it into just another university?
A-freakin-men
@@capybara39419 💯
My brother is in charge of the Honor Code at BYUH. He said it’s the most difficult assignment of his career. The students he has to meet with want to march to the beat of their own drum. He prays mightily. He’s a former stake president, a patriarch and a temple sealer. Crazy times.
We need to get back to basics like when Elder Oaks was president and used electroshock therapy on LGBT students
Look at the comment about the Women’s studies class below - the fact that the Administration stands with the Church is irrelevant if they are unwilling to fire faculty like that! Loneliness is not the problem- unwillingness to let woke faculty go that teach against The Proclamation on the Family. If you hold woke faculty’s “free speech” ahead of doctrine and principles you’re not of any value “for such a time as this”. It’s all talk till you fire several of those wolves hiding in the fold!!! -BYU Alum
Remember all the stir when Elder Holland spoke at BYU a couple of years ago? While there were many thoughts about all of his comments, I'm not sure many people took it the way I took it. To me, it was a clear shot across the bow for BYU leadership to start making changes. Now I'm not sure, nor privy, to what extent any efforts were made to take his message to heart and make fundamental changes, nor can I really ever know if anyone tried. But with this change, it's apparent to me that those expected changes might not have been fast enough, or clear enough. In the future, when we look back, we will see and possibly recognize just how close our beloved BYU came to full collapse. We can only hope that Shane Reese rights the ship, no matter the cost.
He is such a nice guy and very passionate about the mission of BYU. He has vision and I love people who have vision.
President Reese is a former counselor in our stake. He is doctrinally-centered, committed and I have every confidence that will get the job done.
Good discussion. Glad to see that BYU has a president like this. I was very similar to the Pres' story--new convert from Colorado showing up in my bell bottoms in 1977. Had just cut that long hair off. I had such culture shock with Utah at the beginning. There were good moments though. Went on through an MA and served in the Navy/became a professor and then businessman. I look back with love, but it is a true statement that it can be lonely, and surely that is so much worse now.
Not only should knowing who we are as children of God affect how we treat others, it can affect how we see how others are treating us. Looking back through my life experiences, how I perceived how I was being treated often had more to do w/ where I was spiritually and emotionally than that certain others were treating me poorly. I now see that there were times I needed someone else to blame for my unhappiness and struggles. Focusing on personal healing and a close relationship with the Lord- desiring a clear vision of the world around me and to see others through His eyes - changed my ability to not be offended. Knowing who we are should also give us an understanding that we’re all on different personal journeys of growth, and in different places in that growth. When someone does or says something that hurts or offends, it may be more abt where they are spiritually & emotionally than abt us personally (so we don’t need to take it personally). I can then choose to have patience w/ that… hoping that others will have patience w/ me when something I say or do, when I haven’t grown to that place yet spiritually or emotionally, might be offensive to them.
Wow… about time a president who actually gives hope! BYU is supposed to be a religious institution. Period. Stand up for Christ not the world.
I loved Pres Worthen for what he did for the students of different nationalities, and loving people. We just needed to be aware of these things too
I can imagine the Lord looking at the 2 young future BYU presidents, the older encouraging the younger, the Lord knowing their future that they couldn’t imagine.
He said all the right things. But is he willing to take action? To clean house & not apologize for sweeping out the corners. We'll see.
Yay Pres Reece! My daughter is at BYU right now. She attended a “women’s power summit” on campus one weekend where she heard from some of the general women leaders, in contrast one of the sessions had a huge sports illustrated swimsuit edition banner across the stage and featured a panel of swimsuit models and college athletes. I was DUMBFOUNDED. Was BYU actually promoting using soft porn and exploiting one’s body as a form of gaining power for women? Luckily my daughter has a good head on her shoulders and said there was a drastic difference in hearing the church leaders and the models. They were saying the ‘right things’ and it sounded good but lacked real power. She has met amazing friends, they are all young and endowed and go to the temple together weekly. What a blessing to be surrounded by temples and so many fantasticly faithful women who have become her friends.
Yes, this really happened. Utterly disgusting.
It may be hard to say we got a problem without throwing the previous president under the bus, but man I’m not hearing an acknowledgement of major issues. Tweaks ? Seriously? We need much more than an oil change the engine needs a rebuild, swallow pride and over haul.
Amen!
Major issues like what?
It's so interesting to hear so much about what BYU can do for the student, as if the students are somehow incapable. While a student's age and experience is somewhat limiting, where does resilience fit in this relationship between individuals and the institution?
If the institution is going to survive, it begins in the home.
What about putting more responsibility on the student regarding what they can contribute to the institution?
Ask potential students what qualities and gifts they believe they are bringing to the institution!
Add a focus of encouraging families to provide experiences to their children that build not just faith and belief, but resilience against any challenges of student life. Disappointement, discouragement, health challenges, critics, the critical voices coming from the world...and so much more.
Connection is important but standing for true principles, even if we are the only one standing....is more important.
Sure home the changes are coming, not just words.
Alumni, class of '80 here. Elder Bednar covered it years ago in General Conference. Get off your phone, get off your computer, go out with friends and have a real life. That's the cure.
Amen.